|
The integrity of offshore installations is ensured by means of safety measures taken in relation to their construction and thus aimed at minimizing the risk of fire, explosion, collapse, etc. as much as reasonably practicable.
Before installations for exploration or production of hydrocarbons are commissioned in the Danish area, the operator must have obtained an operating permit from the Danish Energy Agency. This applies to fixed offshore installations as well as mobile offshore units.
The DEA issues an operating permit on the basis of an application from the company in charge of the activities. The application must include documentation showing that the installation has been built and will be operated in full compliance with safety, health and environmental requirements. This presupposes, among other things, that a health and safety case of the installation is available, including a risk analysis, as well as documentation showing that the installation has been built in conformity with safety standards and that, in view of the activities for which permission is sought, the management is adequately set up and the installation sufficiently prepared for any emergencies during operation.
When a fixed offshore installation is designed, a health and safety risk asessment is required in order to keep the risk of operating the finished installation as low as reasonably practicable.
The result of the assessment and the subsequent risk reduction must be documented in a Health and Safety Case.
If the installation undergoes major reconstruction work, Danish rules require that the health and safety risk assessment be updated on the basis of the new conditions.
Much of the safety documentation for the physical conditions on board the offshore installation is based on compliance with national or international standards and codes of practice, frequently documented in the form of certification or other verification carried out by an expert third-party company.
Some of the standards applicable to the construction of an offshore installation are issued by the Danish Standards Association, which distributes ISO, IEC and EN standards, as well as the American Petroleum Institute (API), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), AGA, the American Gas Association and ASTM International (ASTM).
A number of standards adopted by the International Maritime Organization, IMO, apply to work performed by existing mobile units on the Danish continental shelf. Thus, the so-called MODU Code for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units applies to drilling rigs. In addition, a number of rules laid down by the classification societies certifying the installations also apply.
Mobile offshore units must have been subjected to a safety assessment demonstrating that the safety level of the individual unit is satisfactory. This assessment, which makes up the safety case for the unit together with a description of its management system for health, safety and environmental matters, must accompany the application for an operating permit submitted to the Danish Energy Authority.
While the Danish Energy Authority supervises the safety of fixed offshore installations, the Danish Maritime Authority supervises the safety of mobile offshore units (with the exception of drilling equipment). Thus, the Danish Energy Authority consults the Danish Maritime Authority when processing applications for operating permits for mobile offshore units.
|